


Red string of fate

by PeroxideMermaid



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dimple Queen - Freeform, Dimple believer, Dimples Brigade, F/M, Fluff, Hood-Mills Family, Outlaw Queen - Freeform, Regal Believer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 10:32:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13479663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeroxideMermaid/pseuds/PeroxideMermaid
Summary: The one where Henry reads to Roland before bed the young Locksley gets ideas.





	Red string of fate

**Author's Note:**

> Someone sent me a prompt on curious cat and my reply was a bit longer (not that much though) and it didn't fit in the character limit so I decided to post it here like some of the other OS. Enjoy!

Roland loves to hear Henry reading. There was something about hearing his older brother’s voice recounting many adventures that made the little boy want to get up on his pretend horse and save the princess. Maybe it was the fact that his Papa was a legend in the lore world – Henry had read him the great adventures of Robin Hood. Or maybe it was the fact that there was a possibility of them being whisk away in an adventure of their own. Whatever it was, it had Roland looking forward for story time every night. 

One night, Henry decided to read him something different from what he usually did. All the tales that he spun around in their room were about Princesses and Monsters and Gods trying to shape the world into their vision of paradise. Well, that was the explanation Henry always gave him and if it came out of his eldest sibling it could never be wrong. But no, it wasn’t about that this time. 

The red string of fate. 

“According to Japanese legend, this thread emanating from the heart doesn’t end at the tip of the finger. It continues in the form of an invisible red string, that flows out the pinkie and goes on to intertwine with the red strings of other people – connecting your heart with theirs.” Henry looked over at him. Roland’s lips curled into a small, adorable, pout as he struggled to understand what Henry meant. “It means that no matter the distance, they will always be close to your heart.” Roland understood half of it. 

“Is it like my papa and Gina’ being soulmates?” He heard the word once before from Henry. When they were discussing his fairy tale book. 

Henry own mouth quirk a little thinking about what Roland just said. At the end he nodded. “That’s a good example but I think it is a bit broader than that.” Henry tapped his chin. He looked a lot like Regina when he did that. “I think that there’s a sting around our pinkies to their hearts as well. We are loved by them and we love them back and that makes us forever bound to one another.” Roland ‘ohh’ softly and then yawned. “Time for bed squirt. We can continue this tomorrow.” Roland almost – almost – agreed to that before a thought lighted up in his brain. 

“Henry do you have red strings?” Roland innocently asked, and Henry quirked a brow.  
“For?” The older boy asked, and Roland shrugged.  
“Just asking.” 

Henry left the room and Roland became a bit disappointed. He was about to jump off the bed and begin his quest for the thread of fate when Henry walked back in with a red yarn ball. “I know what are you thinking..." Henry threw the ball in Roland's direction and grinned. "Lets unit Robin and my mom forever." 

Roland jumped off the bed and ran in Henry's direction, squealing happily. "Waits..." The littlest one said. "Are they awake?" 

Just when they were about to go and check, the pair poked their heads into their room. "I thought you two were asleep?" Regina half argued, half questioned crossing her arms. Henry and Roland looked at one another, the youngest one hiding the ball of yarn behind his back praying that Regina or his papa noticed him hiding something. 

“I just finished reading to Roland.” Henry expressed, it wasn’t a lit after all. Regina seemed to be satisfied with the answer. Roland took that opportunity to jump into his bed and hid the ball beneath his sheets before laying down and covering himself from neck to toes. 

“I’m sleepy.” He faked a yawn. Regina and Robin shared a quick glance before his papa sat at the edge of his bed, ruffling his unruly curls. 

“You can sleep on your own tonight?” Roland’s brows furrowed and looked at Henry standing beside Regina. “Henry is staying with Emma tonight. She is downstairs waiting for him.” The tyke’s lips turned into a frown. So much for their adventure.

“Oh S –“Henry stopped himself from talking when he looked up at Regina who with a raised brow could intimidate anyone. “Sorry.” He amended. “I forgot that was tonight.” 

“Yes well, you should hurry. The more time she spends here, the most likely Hook is causing a scene somewhere in Storybrooke.” 

It was his papa that laughed at that for reasons Roland couldn’t understand. Rollie looked at Henry who was about ready to begin packing his things. The boy searched for the ball of yarn and got out of bed, reached for Regina’s hand and tugged so she could seat right beside Robin. “Henry can’t leave just yet.” The boy in question stopped what he was doing to pay full attention at what was happening and smiled when he saw the ball of yarn in his hands.  
“I promised we would unite the both of you.” Henry explained when Robin and Regina gave confused looks. For his age, Roland had come to difference the many expressions a person can make. Happiness, sadness, anger and confusion all of them had particularities that he could discern and name. Regina did always commend him on how smart he was, and it was those type of compliments that had pushed the five-year-old to learn more and more. 

“Come again?” Robin inquired. 

While Henry searched for a scissors, or at least that’s what Roland thought he was doing, the younger from the four broke out into an explanation of the story Henry had recounted that same evening. “Henry said that the red thre-thread…” Because after all some words were hard to pronounce for him. “Unites people forever. The string is unbreakable and can expand…” His hands gestures were a bit exaggerated at that point and made him drop the yarn that went off rolling somewhere in the room. “No matter how far away you are you are always in each other’s heart.” For the most part the explanation was understandable and his papa and Gina – sometimes he does call her mom – didn’t seem too confused about it. By the time Henry returned with the scissor – he was right! – Roland had wrapped his papa pinkie with the string and tied it up and was going to doing the same with Regina’s. Henry cut the string and in a matter of seconds (because Henry was the one to tie it onto Regina’s pinkie and it took less time) they were done. 

“Perfect!” Henry exclaimed. Both boy wearing toothy grins at their parents. 

“You do know the string is symbolic?” Regina inquired with a head tilt. Henry nodded yes but Roland mirrored Regina’s head tilt. 

“What’s symbolic?” 

Regina motioned for Roland to sit on her lap and he did it willingly. He like Regina a lot. She was warm and sweet and always made him feel so happy. Plus, she made his papa super happy, he smiled more with her in his life than he ever did. “It means that even if you don’t see it there, you know it is. It’s like love. It is a feeling that we harbor in our hearts and protect it when storms come around to take it away.” 

Roland knitted his brow. “So… you love my papa?” He didn’t know it, but the question had made he blush and that was a feeling he didn’t know to discern, not yet. 

“I do love him.” Regina confirmed, adding. “And I love you and Henry. That’s something that one can take away from me, from us.” She kissed his forehead and Roland smiled happily. “But this…” She showed her red stringed pinkie. “Is so sweet, thank you.” 

In that moment Roland felt like the luckiest boy alive. He had a family who was adhered together by indestructible ties. The love flowing in this tiny family couldn’t be measured and it made his own heart feel warm. It made him want to protect the strings that unites them all.


End file.
